Dr Silvia Munoz-Descalzo
Profile
Current Research - Using mouse embryonic stem cells to understand cell fate decision
Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are populations of cells derived from embryos. They can divide to produce more stem cells (self-renew) or differentiate into diverse specialized cell types within the organism.
This capability of being able to form different specialized cell types is what it is called ‘pluripotency’ and makes these cells a perfect system to study cell fate decision making as, while in culture, stem cells are continuously deciding whether to self-renew or differentiate.
How does a cell decide about this? The cell decides by measuring the strength of various signals that it detects, comparing them to its internal situation to see if it is ready to differentiate and, if so, into which cell type. Using a combination of image analysis and theoretical modelling, my research focuses in identifying and understanding the mechanisms involved in maintaining ESC pluripotency, but also that allow them to differentiate. Particularly, I’m interested in probing whether Wntch is the mechanism behind cell fate decision making in stem cells.
Publications
Faunes, F., Hayward, P., Munoz-Descalzo, S., Chatterjee, S. S., Balayo, T., Trott, J., Christoforou, A., Ferrer-Vaquer, A., Hadjantonakis, A.-K., Dasgupta, R. and Martinez Arias, A., 2013. A membrane-associated β-catenin/Oct4 complex correlates with ground-state pluripotency in mouse embryonic stem cells. Development, 2013 (140), pp. 1171-1183.
Kumar, R., Dimenna, L., Schrode, N., Liu, T.-c., Franck, P., Muñoz-descalzo, S., Hadjantonakis, A.-k., Zarrin, A. A., Chaudhuri, J., Elemento, O. and Evans, T., 2013. AID stabilizes stem-cell phenotype by removing epigenetic memory of pluripotency genes. Nature
Kang, M., Xenopoulos, P., Munoz-Descalzo, S., Lou, X. and Hadjantonakis, A. K., 2013. Forthcoming. Live imaging, identifying and tracking single cells in complex populations in vivo and ex vivo. Springer Protocols
Munoz-Descalzo, S., Rue, P., Garcia-Ojalvo, J. and Martinez Arias, A., 2012. Correlations between the levels of Oct4 and nanog as a signature for naïve pluripotency in mouse embryonic stem cells. Stem Cells, 30 (12), pp. 2683-2691.
Munoz Descalzo, S. and Martinez Arias, A., 2012. The structure of Wntch signalling and the resolution of transition states in development. Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology, 23 (4), pp. 443-449.
Munoz-Descalzo, S., de Navascues, J. and Martinez Arias, A., 2012. Wnt-Notch signalling : an integrated mechanism regulating between cell states. Bioessays, 34 (2), pp. 110-118.
Muñoz-Descalzo, S., Tkocz, K., Balayo, T. and Martinez-Arias, A., 2011. Modulation of the ligand-independent traffic of Notch by Axin and Apc contributes to the activation of Armadillo in Drosophila. Development, 138 (8), pp. 1501-1506.
Muñoz-Soriano, V., Belacortu, Y., Durupt, F. C., Muñoz-Descalzo, S. and Paricio, N., 2011. Mtl interacts with members of Egfr signaling and cell adhesion genes in the Drosophila eye. Fly, 5 (2), pp. 88-101.
Munoz-Descalzo, S., Sanders, P. G. T., Montagne, C., Johnson, R. I., Balayo, T. and Martinez Arias, A., 2010. Wingless modulates the ligand independent traffic of Notch through Dishevelled. Fly, 4 (3), pp. 182-193.
Sanders, P. G. T., Muñoz-Descalzo, S., Balayo, T., Wirtz-Peitz, F., Hayward, P. and Martinez Arias, A., 2009. Ligand-independent traffic of notch buffers activated armadillo in Drosophila. PLoS Biology, 7 (8), e1000169.
Kalmar, T., Lim, C., Hayward, P., Muñoz-Descalzo, S., Nichols, J., Garcia-Ojalvo, J. and Martinez Arias, A., 2009. Regulated fluctuations in Nanog expression mediate cell fate decisions in embryonic stem cells. PLoS Biology, 7 (7), e1000149.
